Rifle barrel cleaning device



July 23, 1957 J. G. sTAMM, JR 2,800,289

l, RIFLE BARREL CLEANING DEVICE Filed sept. 1:5', 1954 2 sheets-sheet 1INVENTOR. 5 JHN E STH/1N JQ.

Q' Wim July 23, 1957 J. G. s'rAMM, JR 2,800,289

' RIFLE BARREL CLEANING DEVICE Filed Sept. 13, 1954 L 2 Sheets-Sheet 246/l l L MLQ' Wim..

United States Patent O RIFLE BARREL CLEANING DEVICE John G. Stamm, Jr.,Hamilton, Ohio Application September 13, 1954, Serial No. 455,662

Claims. (Cl. 242-1073) This invention relates to lire arm cleaningdevices and, more particularly, to rifle barrel cleaning devices.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of a rifle barrelcleaning device which has extensibly arranged in a casing a collapsiblecleaning rod of thin and flexible steel tape, the collapsible cleaningrod having one end attached to and wound upon the peripheral surface ofa reel arranged within the casing and the other end extended from thecasing through an opening in one end wall thereof and being adapted tobe extended from the casing any desired part of the length of suchcollapsible cleaning rod to permit in rille barrel cleaning operationsproper cooperation of casing and cleaning rod.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a rie barrelcleaning device of the type described above in which the thin andflexible collapsible cleaning rod is slightly curved transversal to itslongitudinal axis to automatically effect straightening of thecollapsible cleaning rod when shifted in a direction to unwind from thereel to extend outside of the casing and permit winding of the cleaningrod in superimposed layers on the reel when the cleaning rod is shiftedin the opposite direction.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a riile barrelcleaning device of the type described above in which the casing includesguide means for the collapsible cleaning rod to properly guide thecollapsible cleaning rod within said casing when during shifting of thecollapsible cleaning rod in opposite directions Wound upon or unwoundfrom the rotatably mounted reel.

Additional objects and novel features of construction, combination andrelations of parts by which the objects in view have been attained willappear and are set forth in the course of the following specification.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specificationillustrate a certain practical embodiment of the invention, but it willbe apparent as the specification proceeds that the structure may bemodified and changed in various ways without departure from the truespirit and broad scope of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a rifle barrel cleaning device constructed inaccordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the device shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the device shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view partly in elevationthrough the front portion of the collapsible cleaning rod;

Fig. 7 is an end view of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a front view of the perforated closure element forming part ofthe cleaning rod guiding front wall of the rifle barrel cleaning device;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9 9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the cleaning rod guiding means whichguide the cleaning rod in the casing.

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Referring now more particularly to the exemplified form of the inventionshown in the drawings, reference numeral 2 denotes a casing embodying abody portion 3 and a cover member 4 hinged thereto by hinge member 5.Casing 2 includes an upper portion 6 shaped with a lateral extension orneck portion 7 having substantially circular cross section and closed atits open end 8 by a flanged disk 9 which encircles its llange 10, theextensionV 7 and retains the cover member 4 in closed relation withrespect to body portion 3. Cover member 4 additionally is secured tobody portion 3 by a screw member 11 which is extended through a recessedhole 12 in said cover member and threadedly engaged with a threaded hole14 in flange 15 of bracket member 16 secured to body portion 3 insidethereof.

Casing 2 is subdivided by bracket member 16 into upper and lowercompartments 17, 18 and mounts in upper compartment 17 a reel structure19 with a reel 20 freely rotatably mounted on a stationary shaft 21which is extended between side walls 22, 23 of casing 2 and secured toside wall 23 by a screw member 24. Reel 20 in` cludes a circumferentialflange 25 to which is attached inner end 26 of a collapsible cleaningrod 27 of thin and*` flexible steel tape. This cleaning rod is woundupon flange 25 in superimposed layers and extended with its one endthrough a perforation 28 in flanged disk 9 outside of casing 2, acoupling head 29 arranged at the said end of the cleaning rod extendingthrough Said perfora-` tion, as will be later described.

Upper compartment 17 furthermore mounts a partly curved guide andarresting member 30 adapted to guide collapsible cleaning rod 27, whichguide member includes a longitudinally convexly curved guide way 31having convexly curved cross section. Guide way 31 is flanked at itsopposite ends 32, 33 by guide posts 34, 35 and at one side formed with adownwardly extended llange 36 attached to side wall 22 of casing 2 thussupporting the guide and arresting member 30 in upper compartment 17 ofcasing 2. Guide and arresting member 30 guides the collapsible cleaningrod 27 by guide way 31 and cooperates with a shiftable brake member 37in arresting shifting movements of collapsible cleaning rod 27.Shiftable brake member 37 embodies a rubber-like brake shoe 38 having aconvexly curved brake surface 39 and a neck portion 40 extended outsideof upper compartment 17 through an elongated opening 41 in top wall 42of casing 2.

The collapsible cleaning rod 27 is made of spring steel tape of slightlycurved cross section, as previously described, and is attached at theinner end 43 to reel structure 19 to prevent complete withdrawal of thecleaning rod from casing 2. The outer end 44 of cleaning rod 27 hasattached thereto the coupling head 29 embodying a cylindrically shapedmain portion 45 with a threaded bore 46 permitting removable coupling ofrifle barrel cleaning elements to portion 45 and an attachment portion47 secured to collapsible cleaning rod 27 by rivets 48. Attachmentportion 47 is coupled with main portion 45 by a swivel connection 49 andhas cylindrical surface 5t) of rear portion 51 flattened at 52 toprevent full extension of coupling head 29 through performation 28 inflanged disk 9 and axial rotation of main portion 45 of coupling head 29when said main portion is partly extended through perforation 28 thusfacilitating attachment and detachment of riile barrel elements to andfrom the coupling head.

Perforation 28 in disk 9 fits the cross section of rear portion 51 ofthe main portion of coupling head 29, with the exception that thisperforation additionally is formed with two symmetrically arranged,aligned curved slots 53 and 54 arranged to permit the collapsiblecleaning rod 27 to be extended through the perforation 28 in flangedwithV its-inner end to stationary shaft 21 and with its outer end tocircumferential flange 25 of reel 20 to automatically dra-w thecollapsible cleaning rodV 27 'back into upper compartment 17 of casing 2and windy such rod in superimposed layers onreel 20 when the cleaningrod is not in use.

In ritle barrel 'cleaning operations the elongated collapsible cleaningrod of elongated resilient spring steel tape is Withdrawnfrom the casingto adapt the extended portion of thecleaning 'rod `to the length of theritle barrel .to be cleaned, the width kof the steel tape forming thebody of the cleaningirod being `slightlyless than the bore ofthe rilleto be cleaned, so that'th'e extended portion of the :cleaning rod wheninserted into a respective rifle barrel. will not collapse but permitproper and thorough cleaning operations.

A collapsible cleaning device of the type herein described can readilybe inserted into a riile barrel at its bottom end withoutremoval of thebreech bolt.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim is:

1. In a rifle barrel cleaning device a casing having a neck portion, adiskwith a curved slot closing the outer end of the neck portion of saidcasing, reel means within said casing mounting a collapsible,transversely curved, tape-like cleaning rod, and a longitudinally andtransversely curved guide member within said casing spaced from the topwall thereof adapted to guide the collapsible transversely curvedtape-like cleaning rod to said neck portion, said guide member havingone end axially aligned with the neck portion of said housing in spacedrelation with respect to theclosing disk of the neck portion to permitguiding of the collapsible tape-like transversely curved cleaning'rodtoward the neck portion and the curvedfslot of the closing disk thereof.

2. Arie barrel cleaning device as described in. claim` l, wherein saidreel means are arranged within the casing below the guide member, andwherein said guide member has the other end extended adjacent said reelmeans.

3. A rifle barrel cleaning device as described in claim l, wherein thereel means are arranged in the casing below the guide member, whereinthe guide member is transversely and axially curved, wherein the guidemember includes lateral guiding means, and wherein the guide memberextends with the other end adjacent said reel means.

4. In a rifle .barrel cleaning device a casing embodying a body portionand a cover member, an open neck portion at one end of said casing, aclosure disk with a curved slot closing the end of said neck portion,reel means withing said casing, and axially and transversely curvedguide means in the body portion of said casing, arranged to align oneend with the curved slotof theV closure plate of the neck portion.

5. A ritle barrel cleaning device as described-in claim 4, includingbrake shoe means axially shiftably supported by saidY casing, said brakeshoe means including a curved brake surface opposing the curved guidemeans for cooperation therewith and a reduced portion guided in the wallof said casing opposite the said guide means and extended outside ofsuch casingV through an kopening in its wall.Y i l References Cited inthe lileof this patent yUNITED STATES PATENTS 2,410,420 Bennett Nov. 5,1946 2,446,020 Nicholson et al July 27, 1948 2,469,674 Witchger May 10,1949

